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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24940699">Breathing Slow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxfalling_skiesxx/pseuds/xxfalling_skiesxx'>xxfalling_skiesxx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Breathing Slow [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wentworth (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Cheating, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:39:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24940699</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxfalling_skiesxx/pseuds/xxfalling_skiesxx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Valeria Valdez, a high-ranking drug dealer with a dark connection to the Holt family, arrives at Wentworth after shooting an undercover cop, she is sucked into the world of the enigmatic Franky Doyle, and life as she knows it will never be the same.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Allie Novak/Bea Smith, Doreen Anderson/Nash Taylor, Franky Doyle/Bridget Westfall, Franky Doyle/Original Female Character(s), Kim Chang/Franky Doyle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Breathing Slow [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Born Again: Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story takes place throughout season 2, starting from the first episode, "Born Again." I can't promise anything because I'm in college and I work and because these chapters take HOURS to write, but if all goes according to plan, I will be continuing this story into season 8 and hopefully season 9 when it comes around! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>It was 1:23 AM. Valeria,“Val” Valdez rounded the corner of the alleyway, dark hoodie pulled over her head. It was a cold, dark, moonless night, the only light was provided by the soft glow of the streetlamps. Her boot splashed in a puddle as she made her way through the city, hand resting on the cool metal of the pistol in her hoodie pocket. She still wasn’t sure what exactly she planned to do with the gun, she’d been pondering for weeks, but her time had run out. She turned another corner, and there she was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Danielle Martinez” AKA “Miriam Holbrook”. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Danielle” had entered the drug scene almost 7 months ago. Valdez was immediately suspicious when the younger woman had sought her out, claiming she simply wanted a leg up in the competition and had no clue where to start. Against her better judgement, Valdez had trusted Danielle, but not for long. After several months, Danielle had already done a number of things that screamed suspicious. After 6 months, Valdez had another dealer follow Danielle for 72 hours, and they discovered that she was not a drug-dealing newbie, but an undercover police officer named Miriam Holbrook. Valdez had then realized that everything she had done for the young woman, the bond she thought they’d formed, everything was a lie. She also realized that she was being watched by the police. She didn’t immediately confront Miriam, she let her fury and anguish fester and bubble for another month, knowing it would boil over eventually, and she wanted to see just how long Holbrook would carry out her lies.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And boil over it had. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>She stepped around the corner and slid the handgun out of her hoodie pocket, slowly raising it and pointing it at Miriam, who turned around when she heard Valdez’s footsteps. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t fucking move,” Valdez hissed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Val, what the fuck?” ‘Danielle’ said. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t call me that,” Valdez spat. “You’re a fucking rat.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What are you talking about?” Miriam said, feigning innocence. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Cut the shit, Miriam,” Valdez said. “I know everything.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“H-How did you…” Miriam stammered. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You weren’t as under the radar as you thought. I had you followed for three days,” Valdez snarled. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Val, I’m—”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“If you say you’re sorry, I’m going to shoot you,” she growled. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“If you shoot me, you’ll get life,” Miriam said. For a long, quiet moment, they each stared at the other, the only sounds were their collective heaving breaths and the sounds of the city.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You people disgust me. You destroy lives on purpose,” Valdez snapped. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m sorr—”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When she heard the words, her finger jerked, there was an earsplitting crack, a scream, and then Miriam was on the ground. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I told you not to say it,” she sneered. Miriam was holding her lower abdomen and whimpering, eyes closed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“The cops are going to be here any minute,” she panted.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I hope you know this is entirely your fault,” Valdez hissed. She and Miriam stared at each other again, and then Valdez ran. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>She didn’t make it very far before a cop car came screaming around the corner of the street she was sprinting down. The officer whipped his car to the curb and began to chase Valdez, shouting for her to freeze. The frightened, exhilarated, furious, confused woman turned and pointed her gun at the cop. She had nothing left to lose.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This lead to a standoff involving several more officers that lasted several hours and she ultimately realized that she was going to go to prison either way. Miriam already had her for drug dealing before she shot her, so what was the point? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Valdez surrendered, and off to prison she went.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“Name?” an impatient male voice said, snapping Valdez out of her stupor.</p><p>“Sorry, what?” she asked, running a hand through her hair.</p><p>“Name?” the officer, Will, repeated.</p><p>“Valeria Eden Valdez,” she muttered.</p><p>“Date of birth?” Will asked.</p><p>“November fifteenth, ninety-five.”</p><p>“Are you on any medication?” he asked. Valdez shook her head. “Next of kin?”</p><p>“Don’t have any,” Valdez sighed. The officer wrote down several more things and then stood and indicated that she should as well. He lead her out of the room and into the hall and waved over a short, strict-looking woman with her hair slicked back into a smooth bun.</p><p>“Valdez, this is Ms. Bennett, she’ll show you to your unit,” Will said.</p><p>“Hi,” Valdez said quietly.</p><p>“Hi,” Ms. Bennett greeted. She turned and headed down a long hallway. When Valdez heard the sound of basketballs bouncing and women shouting, her stomach dropped. The yard.</p><p>Even though she considered herself an atheist, Valdez began to pray that no one recognized her. When she stepped into the yard, she watched as heads all over the yard snapped up to watch her. (She would later find out that she had made the evening news). As her eyes scanned the yard, they landed on a tough-looking woman with jet-black hair and a phoenix tattooed on her arm, along with several other tattoos, who was staring her down with an intensity she found… Unnerving.</p><p>Valdez followed the short woman through the prison yard and into another part of the building. A sign read, <em>“Accommodation Unit, H2 Block”. </em></p><p>Valdez continued following Ms. Bennett until they reached a small living area with a sliding, barred, black door. An older blonde woman and a younger African-American woman were sitting on a sofa, laughing about something. They stood when Valdez and Ms. Bennett entered. Ms. Bennett motioned at the blonde.</p><p>“This is Elizabeth Birdsworth, she’s our peer worker. She’ll help you settle in,” Ms. Bennett said. Liz smiled warmly at Val, as did the other woman.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Liz, and this is Doreen,” Liz said.</p><p>“Valeria,” she said.</p><p>“Liz, make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble,” Ms. Bennett said. “Third cell on the left.” Liz nodded, and Ms. Bennett left, heels clicking on the floor until Val could no longer hear them. Val turned to Liz.</p><p>“Is there anything I should know?” she asked.</p><p>“You see that panic button over there?” she asked, pointing to a red button on the walled labeled “DURESS”, and Val nodded. “Don’t <em>ever </em>press it.”</p><p>“Is that it?”</p><p>“Leave your door open, or the girls think you don’t trust them. When they call for the count, you have to be standing by your door. And if Franky or Boomer ask for any of your things, don’t argue,” Liz explained.</p><p>“Franky? Boomer?” Val echoed. As if on cue, a large, tall woman with long, messy, dark-brown hair entered the unit, followed by the same black-haired woman who was staring Val down in the yard.</p><p>“Who’s this?” the black-haired woman asked Liz.</p><p>“This is Valeria, she’s in H2 now,” Liz replied. “Valeria, this is Franky, and this is Boomer,” she said, pointing out which was which. Boomer was staring at her with her head tilted, as if she was trying to figure something out, and then she appeared to have a revelation, and a look of sudden clarity crossed her face.</p><p>“Wasn’t you the one on the news that shot the cop that you didn’t know was a cop?”</p><p>“Boomer!”</p><p>“Booms!”</p><p>Valeria frowned, folding her arms. “How did you know about that?"</p><p>“The whole fuckin’ prison knows about it!” Boomer said. "Ya mugshot was on the telly."</p><p><em>“Boomer!”</em>Liz griped, exasperated.</p><p>“I knew I recognized you,” Franky said. “Heard you got some pretty hefty charges.”</p><p>“What’s it to you?” Valeria snapped.</p><p>“Ooh, we got a feisty one girls!” Franky was laughing, but Valeria had the feeling there was nothing friendly or amusing about it. Valeria said nothing, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows at Franky as if to say, <em>are you done yet? </em>The two women locked eyes and Valeria found herself unnerved by Franky’s stare once again. Her eyes were a bright, enthralling shade of green, and the way she looked at Valeria, like a lion sizing up a gazelle with a broken leg, made her nervous in a way she’d never felt. And she didn’t like it. She found herself fighting the urge to squirm as the seconds ticked on, but she didn’t dare break the stare-down between herself and Franky. Finally, the call of the prison intercom broke the heavy silence of the room.</p><p>
  <em>“Final count to commence in five minutes, all prisoners return to their units.”</em>
</p><p>“Guess I’ll see you around,” Franky grinned, and Valeria found herself, for the umpteenth timed, unnerved by the dark-haired woman. Everyone moved to their respective doors, and Valeria could feel Franky’s eyes piercing into her back as she walked toward her door. She dared a glance in Franky’s direction and, of course, she was staring her down. Several minutes later, the same officer who had processed Valeria entered the unit, and Franky finally looked away from her.</p><p>“Evening, ladies,” he said.</p><p>“Hi, Mr. Jackson,” several of the women said.</p><p>“Alright…” he said, marking something on a clipboard. “Anderson,”</p><p>“Here,” Doreen said.</p><p>Mr. Jackson quickly called off the names, and when he was finished he turned to Valeria.</p><p>“You settling in okay?” he asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m alright,” she nodded. Mr. Jackson nodded, smiled softly and walked away, sliding the black barred door closed as he went.</p><p>“G’night, ladies!” he called. Each woman mumbled their own version of, “Goodnight, Mr. Jackson” and off to bed they went. Valeria curled up in her bed and wrapped the scratchy prison blanket around her shoulders, feeling very alone and very isolated. </p><p><em>That's prison for you,</em> she thought to herself.</p>
<hr/><p>Valeria realized 3 things when her eyes snapped open at an unknown hour of the night.</p>
<ol>
<li>There was a blade currently pressed against her jugular.</li>
<li>She had fucked up in challenging Franky.</li>
<li>She had <em>really </em>fucked up.</li>
</ol><p>She could scream, but that probably wouldn’t do her much good. Without being told, she knew Franky was the one in charge, and anyone who would come to her aid would not be much help. When her eyes finally registered to the dark of the cell, she realized Franky wasn’t alone. Boomer stood in one corner of the cell, and Franky was sitting on the bed, one hand holding a fistful of Valeria’s hair and another holding the shiv to her throat. Her body was pressed against Valeria’s back and she could feel Franky’s deep, even breathing.</p><p>“What the f—” she began before Franky pressed the shiv dangerously hard against her neck.</p><p>“Shut the fuck up,” she hissed. Deciding that her pride wasn’t worth being shivved, Valeria bit her tongue and glared at the ceiling.</p><p><em>Good job, dumbarse, your first night in prison and you’ve already made an enemy, </em>she thought to herself.</p><p>“I know what you used to do on the outs, and I want you to know one thing. I’m in charge around here, got it?” Franky said calmly in her ear, her breath hot against the back of Valeria’s neck and the younger woman involuntarily shivered. When Valeria said nothing, Franky yanked her head back until they were eye-to-eye. “Got it?” she repeated.</p><p>“Got it,” Valeria grumbled.</p><p>“And if you get any ideas of starting up a business in here, well…” Franky trailed off, pressing the blade against Valeria’s skin and dragging it several inches while Valeria squeezed her eyes shut.</p><p>“Dually fucking noted,” Valeria spat. Franky released her hair and drew the shiv away from her neck.</p><p>“I hope we won’t have to continue this little conversation,” she said, standing and moving to the cell door, Boomer following behind her.</p><p>“Back at ya,” Valeria snarled.</p><p>“Sweet dreams,” Franky grinned, winking at her in that <em>irritating fucking way </em>that Valeria was already beginning to realize she hated, and shutting the cell door. When she was alone, Valeria wiped the blood from her neck and glared at the door. So much for doing her time and keeping her head down.</p>
<hr/><p>Two days later, and Valeria had been introduced to , Skye Pierson, several other prisoners, and Liz had explained to her the “Top Dog” system. Skye gave her bad vibes, to put it lightly.</p><p>She was rostered in the laundry, along with the rest of H2. She was quietly folding towels while Bea and Liz chattered on about this and that, when Skye walked in pushing a trolley.</p><p>“Hold it there!” a stern, angry voice called out. Everyone froze and looked up, including Skye, eyes widening and snapping immediately to Franky, who was manning the steam press. A pale, very tall<em>, </em>very harsh looking woman with piercing, almost black eyes marched into the room, followed by Ms. Bennett, Mr. Jackson and several other officers. Franky shifted her weight and eyed the woman carefully, the same way she had eyed Valeria in H2.“Step away from the trolley,” the tall woman commanded. Skye looked at Franky, who nodded so slightly that it was nearly imperceptible if one wasn’t paying attention. Skye swung away from the trolley, staring at the ground. “Empty it,” the woman said. Two officers began to empty the trolley. Everyone was exchanging glances, furrowing their brows. Judging by the confused looks of every prisoner in the room, this woman was as new to them as she was to Valeria. When the two guards had emptied the entire trolley, they stood upright and silently shook their heads at the woman. The woman took several slow, long steps forward toward the trolley, the sound of her heels on the floor was uncomfortably loud considered how silent the room had fallen. She proceeded to kick the trolley onto its side and snap on a pair of blue latex gloves. As Valeria watched, Franky began to shift her weight back and forth once again and was biting on her lower lip, eyes locked on the mysterious woman. The woman bent and reached into a small hole in the lining of the trolley’s fabric, producing a piece of tinfoil bound in rubber bands. She held it up in front of Skye. “Slot her.”</p><p>“It’s not my fault, I swear! I didn’t tell her!” Skye shouted as the two officers began to haul her away. “I swear to fuckin’ God, it wasn’t me!”</p><p>“And who’re you?” Franky barked from the steam press at the woman’s retreating back. The woman slowly turned.</p><p>“My name’s Ms. Ferguson, but you can call me governor.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Born Again: Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ferguson's true colors begin to show, and Valeria finds a startling connection between herself and Bea.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! I'm sorry it took so long for me to upload this. These chapters take hours to write at the least and days at the most and I'm just warning you guys, these chapters are gonna be LONG. I'm considering splitting each episode into 2 chapters. Would you guys rather me just write one long chapter for each or would splitting it up be better? Let me know! Also, last thing! It takes me a really long time to write out the entire episode, so my apologies if I leave certain parts out, it just saves time. Anyways, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Later that day, Valeria was in her cell, pretending to read a novel whilst quietly watching Franky pace about her cell, which was, of course, directly across from Valeria.</p><p>“No, I don’t know much about her except she cleaned up Stone Park in Queensland and they gave her the nickname of, ‘The Fixer’. But I reckon we can do better than that, don’t you? The fixer?” Liz said while Franky paced. Before Franky could respond, Boomer came running into the unit, 4 people following behind her. Two women were dragging two younger looking girls by the arms while they protested loudly.</p><p>“Hey, we got em!” Boomer said.</p><p>“Got who?” Liz asked.</p><p>“Them,” Boomer said, nodding her head at the girls. Valeria tossed her novel onto her bed and stepped out into the unit, followed by Kim.</p><p>“Let ‘em go,” Franky commanded the two older women. She sized both of them up for a moment. “Start talkin’!”</p><p>“It wasn’t me, I just did what you said,” a girl that Valeria had briefly been introduced to and knew only as Lindsay, said.  </p><p>“Me either, it must have been Skye!” said the other girl on the left.</p><p>“Skye’s job was to push a trolley, it was yours to get the gear off the driver and hide it in the bag.”</p><p>“That’s what we did!” Lindsay cried.</p><p>“What, right in front of the new Governor?” Franky scoffed.</p><p>“No one saw us! I swear!”</p><p>“No? Well <em>how the fuck did she know where it was?” </em>Franky argued. Both girls stayed silent, staring at Franky with wide, frightened eyes. Franky scrubbed a hand over her face and took a deep breath before she began. “Okay. One of you screwed up, one of you ruined my whole fuckin’ system, okay? So, who’s got the guts to step up, huh? Who’s gonna take some responsibility?” she growled. Valeria exchanged a look with Liz.</p><p>“Oh, Franky, come on!” Liz groaned.</p><p>“Who was it?” Franky asked again, ignoring Liz. When neither girl said a word, Franky sighed. “You know how the Romans settled this shit?”</p><p>Valeria’s stomach flipped.</p><p>“Booms,” Franky commanded. “Put ‘em in your cell.”</p><p>“Why mine?”</p><p>“Just do it,” Franky snapped. The women pushed the girls into Boomer’s cell as she yelled at them not to touch anything. Franky walked to the entrance of the cell and leaned on the doorframe. “Now you’re gonna slug it out. Winner gets to walk.”</p><p>“Okay, you’ve taught ‘em a lesson, Franky, now let ‘em go!” Liz protested. Once again, Franky ignored her.</p><p>“Now who’s gonna throw the first punch?”</p><p>“We don’t have to do this,” Lindsay said. “If we both say no, she can’t—”</p><p>Lindsay was unable to finish her sentence before the other girl whirled and socked her in the face, blood splattering on the wall. She slammed her head into the wall again and Valeria and Kim looked at each other for a moment before looking back at the increasingly violent fight that was taking place in front of them. The unnamed girl slammed Lindsay’s head into the wall for the 3<sup>rd</sup>time. “Now you finish it,” Franky demanded. The girl stared at Franky for a moment, looking pained, and Valeria could tell she didn’t want to do what she was doing. Then she began to slam Lindsay against the wall again. Boomer began to cackle, and Liz started to yell.</p><p>“You can’t make ‘em do it! It’s sick!” she shouted.</p><p>“Shut the door, I don’t wanna hear it!” Franky barked, marching into her cell, quickly followed by Kim, who shut the door. Not knowing what else to do, Valeria slowly trudged back into her cell and shut the door as well. Even with the door closed, she could still hear the two girls screaming and she grabbed her pillow and wrapped it around her head. It wasn’t enough to block it out and she groaned quietly. She’d been here all of 3 days and she was already emotionally exhausted.</p>
<hr/><p>Several days later, it close to around lunchtime. Valeria and Liz were tending to the garden boxes when the gaze buzzed, and Doreen came in, back from a visit.</p><p>“Hey, how was the visit?”</p><p>“Oh, great. Kaiya’s gettin’ so tall!” Doreen beamed. “She’s done you a drawing, the screws said they’d bring it in later for ya.”</p><p>“That’s nice,” Liz said. Doreen looked around and lowered her voice.</p><p>“Hey, um… I heard about the girls. I tried to see ‘em but they’re still in Medical,” Doreen said.</p><p>“It was bloody horrible. Franky is losing the plot, she’s worse since Davidson left.”</p><p>“Davidson?” Valeria echoed.</p><p>“She was the Governor right before you showed up. Her and Franky…” Liz trailed off, not sure how to explain the connection between the Top Dog and an ex-Governor.</p><p>“Ohh…” Valeria hummed.</p><p>“Well she’s scared, she knows she’s got a target on her back, especially with the bust this morning,” Doreen added. “They reckon Tanya from C-Block’s gonna make a move soon, and Lou Kelly’s been shootin’ her mouth off.”</p><p>“Oh, I am so sick of it!” Liz groaned.</p><p>“So, someone’s going to try to challenge Franky?” Valeria asked.</p><p>“Reckon so. They probably won’t be as lucky as you were,” Liz sighed.</p><p>“Who’s got the green thumb?” a 4<sup>th</sup>voice was suddenly added to the conversation. Valeria looked up at the new Governor as she approached, Ms. Bennett by her side.</p><p>“This is Doreen Anderson and Liz Birdsworth, our peer workers. And this is Valeria Valdez, she just got here a few days ago,” Ms. Bennett explained.</p><p>“You’re doing a great job,” Ms. Ferguson said to Doreen.</p><p>“Oh, it’s not just me, Liz knows heaps about plants and stuff,” Doreen replied.</p><p>“You’re due for parole soon,” Ms. Ferguson said, turning to Liz.</p><p>“Yeah, a couple of months,” Liz responded, looking a bit surprised.</p><p>“I’ll arrange a meeting. We can have a talk about another potential Peer Worker for when Liz leaves us,” Ms. Ferguson said. Doreen and Liz nodded their agreeance and Ms. Ferguson leaned down and gently touched one of the white roses they had planted. “These roses look good.”</p><p>“We planted those for Bea Smith, they’re her favorite,” Liz said. At the sound of Bea’s name, Valeria’s ears perked up. She had heard about this “Bea Smith”, but she was yet to meet her. Apparently, Ms. Ferguson was in the same boat.</p><p>“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about this Bea Smith… She seems to have had an impact…” Ms. Ferguson hummed.</p><p><em>“Sierra Four calling Sierra Three," </em>Vera’s radio buzzed<em>. “Assistance needed in Medical.”</em></p><p>“Sierra Three, roger that, I’m on my way,” Vera replied.</p><p>“Well, have a good day, ladies,” Ms. Ferguson said. The three women mumbled their goodbyes and when the Governor was gone, they all looked at one another.</p><p>“Is it just me, or is Ferguson… Weird…?” Valeria asked.</p><p>“It’s not just you, darl,” Liz said.</p><p>“Something about her gives me the creeps,” Doreen said.</p><p><em>You and me both, </em>Valeria thought to herself.</p>
<hr/><p>The next day, Valeria was at work unit when Mr. Jackson came through the door.</p><p>“Valdez,” he called. Valeria’s head snapped up. “Governor wants to see you.”</p><p>The room fell quiet. <em>The Governor? </em></p><p>With every pair of eyes in the room on her, especially Franky’s, Valeria made her way over to Mr. Jackson and he lead her out of the room. They went down several hallways, turned some corners and went through a doorway into an office-like setting. He lead her to a door labeled <em>“Ms. J. Ferguson. GOVERNOR”. </em></p><p>“Come in,” she heard the Governor call after he knocked. Valdez followed Mr. Jackson through the door. Ms. Ferguson was sitting at her desk. “Thank you, Mr. Jackson. Take a seat,” she said, smiling slightly. Mr. Jackson shut the door and Valeria sat down. Her left leg immediately began to bounce, a nervous habit she’d picked up in high school and been unable to drop.</p><p>“Am I in trouble?” she asked.</p><p>“No, no, nothing like that,” Ms. Ferguson replied. “I understand from your file that your former occupation was at a mental health clinic.”</p><p>“Um… Yeah, for a while,” Valeria said, confused.</p><p>“What were your duties?”</p><p>“I counseled patients on managing side-effects of medication, specifically withdrawal,” Valeria said.</p><p>“What can you tell me about a drug called Haloperidol?” Ms. Ferguson asked.</p><p>“It’s an antipsychotic medication used for treatment of psychosis and hallucinations and used off-label as a very strong sedative,” she said.</p><p>“Is it habit forming?”</p><p>“Depends on the dosage, it can be,” Valeria said. “May I ask why you’re asking me instead of Nurse Atkins?”</p><p>“I have found that prison nurses often understand very little of psychiatric medications. You have been very helpful,” Ms. Ferguson said. She pressed the intercom and called for Mr. Jackson. “And, Valdez?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“There’s a prisoner I want you to keep an eye on, Bea Smith. She’s recently stopped her medication, which, as you know, can have side effects. She’ll be in H4. I trust you can do this with discretion?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course,” Valeria replied.</p><p>“Thank you,” Ms. Ferguson said.</p><p>As Mr. Jackson lead her down the hall, the only thing she could think was:</p><p>
  <em>What the fuck?</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“Aye, what’d Ferguson want with you the other day?” Doreen asked Valeria as they tended to the flower boxes the next morning.</p><p>“Oh, it was nothing,” Valeria said. “She was just asking me if I knew anything about Franky,” she lied. She had the feeling if she told anyone she had been instructed to keep an eye on Bea, they’d see her as a lagger.</p><p>They heard the gate buzz and several heads shot up. Women around the yard began to call out.</p><p>“Bea!”</p><p>“Hey, Bea!”</p><p>The women began to gather together. Mr. Jackson was walking a woman with thick, dark-red hair by the arm. She was half walking, half stumbling and her head slowly swayed back and forth. Her lips were gray, her eye sockets and cheekbones were sunken and hollow. She looked like she’d just crawled out from the grave.</p><p>
  <em>This was the infamous Bea Smith? </em>
</p><p>“All right, ladies. Come on, give her some space, please. Give her some room,” Mr. Jackson said tersely as the women began to gather around Bea.</p><p>“Is she alright?” Liz asked.</p><p>“She’ll be fine, just leave her alone for now,” Ms. Bennett said.</p><p>“Where are you taking her?” someone called out.</p><p>“Got a pen?” Boomer cackled, pretending to stab herself in the neck. Liz, Doreen and Valeria all exchanged a glance and ran after Ms. Bennett. They followed the Deputy-Governor through the doors to H4.</p><p>“Ms. Bennett? Is it okay if we go and say hello to Bea?” Doreen asked.</p><p>“Yeah, go on through,” Ms. Bennett said after a moment’s hesitation. They found her in the 4<sup>th</sup>cell on the right. She was sitting slumped over, her hair blocking her face.</p><p>“Debbie…” Bea mumbled.</p><p>“Who’s Debbie?” Valeria whispered.</p><p>“Her daughter… She passed away recently,” Liz explained.</p><p>“What’s she doing?” Doreen asked when Bea didn’t react to their presence. Liz knocked on the doorframe and the red-haired woman jerked, looking up at them with a lifeless, slack-jawed expression that Valeria had seen before on patients going through drug withdrawal.</p><p>“Hey, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Liz said, taking a seat beside Bea. “Bea, this is Valeria, she’s in H2 now.”</p><p>“Hi, Bea,” Valeria said. Bea mumbled something unintelligible and leaned toward Liz.</p><p>“It’s good to see you,” Liz told her, both she and Doreen hugging Bea. “You don’t look too crash-hot, though.”</p><p>As Doreen and Liz updated Bea on the latest prison happenings, Valeria observed her carefully. She was falling asleep as the two women talked to her. Having been both the one withdrawing and the one watching, Valeria felt a wave of sympathy for the woman. From experience she knew that Bea was in for a rough night.</p><p>“Bea? Bea?” Liz said gently. Bea jerked again and opened her eyes.</p><p>“Sorry…” she said softly.</p><p>
  <em>“Attention compound, all women are to return to their units immediately.” </em>
</p><p>“Are you sure you’re alright?” Liz asked Bea, who swayed back and forth and said nothing.</p><p>“It’s too early for the count,” Doreen remarked.</p><p>“We better go, though,” Liz said. They said their goodbyes to Bea and as soon as they were away from the cell, Doreen looked at Valeria.</p><p>“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” she asked.</p><p>“You guys can’t tell anyone this,” Valeria said, lowering her voice. “Ferguson didn’t wanna talk to me about Franky. She wants me to keep an eye on Bea because I used to counsel patients on managing their medications and symptoms.”</p><p>“What medications?” Liz asked.</p><p>“Ferguson didn’t give me details, but I think they’ve been giving Bea sedatives,” Valeria said as they entered the unit. Liz made a face and before she could reply, Mr. Jackson’s call rang through the unit</p><p>“Alright, ladies, stand at your cells!”</p><p>“We’re out, we’re out!” Liz grumbled.</p><p>“What’s goin’ on?” Boomer asked, popping her head out of her cell. A male officer that she had seen briefly around the compound snapped at Boomer to get out of her cell. “What’re they lookin’ for?” she asked Franky. Franky glanced up at Valeria, who looked away, and then began whispering something to Boomer.</p><p>“Boomer!” the male officer shouted from her cell. Boomer turned around, eyes wide. Valeria watched Franky with curiosity. Boomer appeared to be panicking, and Franky seemed completely calm. The male officer appeared at the door of Boomer’s cell holding a fistful of newspaper articles. “You can’t keep this shit under your mattress, you know the rules!” he said, slapping them down onto the table.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry,” Boomer said. She turned to Franky and they began to furiously whisper again. When the officers were done tossing the cells, leaned over the table in the center of the room and looked at Liz.</p><p>“Seen Red?”</p><p>“Uh… Yeah…” Doreen said when Liz said nothing.</p><p>“How is she?”</p><p>“She’s pretty out of it,” Liz replied.</p><p>“She got a plan?”</p><p>“A <em>plan? </em>I don’t know, I don’t think she’s got any plans,” Liz said sarcastically.</p><p>“Well, good,” Franky sneered. She turned and left the unit, Boomer following. When she was gone, Valeria looked down at the table and her stomach began to twist itself in knots when her eyes landed on one of the articles, titled, <em>BRAYDEN HOLT: THE DAY MUM DIED. </em></p><p>Valeria felt like she was going to be sick.</p><p>“Can I ask why Boomer is collecting magazines on Brayden Holt?” Valeria asked hesitantly. Liz and Doreen exchanged a glance.</p><p>“He killed Bea’s daughter,” Doreen said quietly. "And then Bea killed his mom."</p><p>Valeria felt like the world was veering sideways.</p><p>“I’ll… I’ll be right back…” she mumbled to Liz, forcing herself not to vomit right then and there.</p><p>“You alright, love?” Liz called after her. She said nothing and half-walked, half-ran to the shower block, pushing through a throng of women when she entered. She leaned over the sink, forcing herself to take deep breaths, the image of Brayden Holt burned into the back of her mind. Just as she was starting to think she could stand upright without puking, she noticed Bea at the sink next to her, looking just as bad as Valeria felt. Before she could say anything, the bathroom door banged open. In slow motion, she watched as Boomer grabbed Bea by the hair and slammed her against the wall.</p><p><em>“What the fuck?” </em>Valeria shouted at Franky.</p><p>“Stay outta it,” Franky growled. “Welcome back, Red!” she laughed as one-by-one, the woman in the shower block fell silent and turned to watch.</p><p>“B-Boomer, just let me go,” Bea begged.</p><p>“Now, three months is a long time,” Franky began, hopping up on the bathroom counter. “And a lot of things have changed around here, so I just wanted to catch you up.”</p><p>“Please…” Bea whimpered.</p><p>“I’m in charge now, you understand?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah,” Bea choked out.</p><p>“Bring her over,” Franky instructed. The women watched, some looking horrified, as Boomer dragged a struggling Bea over to the sink.</p><p>“Franky, she’s had enough,” Valeria insisted. “You made your point!”</p><p>“Fuck off, Valeria, unless you want to continue our little conversation,” Franky hissed. She turned to Bea. “Who’s in charge? Say it.”</p><p>“Just let me go,” Bea whispered. Franky nodded at Boomer, who proceeded to shove Bea’s head into the sink and hold it there. Bea thrashed and screamed under the water and Valeria watched helplessly. After several long, ticking seconds, knowing she couldn’t help, Valeria couldn’t watch anymore. She shoved through the throng of women and stormed out, slamming the bathroom door as she went. Growing angrier by the second, she stomped down the hall and into her cell, slamming the door and ignoring Liz and Doreen. She threw herself onto her bed and curled up into a ball. Several seconds later, her cell door creaked open and Liz appeared in the doorway.</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>“Franky made a big show of half-drowning Bea in the shower block,” she muttered, turning toward the wall. “There was nothing I could do.”</p><p>“We need to go check on her,” Liz said. Sighing, Valeria sat up and looked at Liz.</p><p>“What are we gonna do?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Liz sighed.</p>
<hr/><p>They made their way down to H4 as fast as they could. They found Bea sitting on her bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, eyes wide and staring at nothing as she softly knocked her head against the wall.</p><p>“Bea, are you alright, love?” Liz asked. Bea didn’t respond, and she sat down beside her, taking her face in her hands. “Hey, hey, hey, you shouldn’t have to put up with that crap, darling,” she said quietly, her voice breaking.</p><p>“I-I can’t see her…” Bea mumbled. Doreen, Liz, and Valeria looked at each other.</p><p>“You can’t see who?” Doreen asked.</p><p>“Debbie…” Bea whispered.</p><p>“Oh, Bea. Darling, Debbie’s gone,” Liz said softly. Bea looked perplexed and shook her head.</p><p>“No, no, I can talk to her… I just need my medication…” Bea murmured. <em>“I need my medication!” </em></p><p>“Bea, you need to calm down,” Liz said. Bea stood and pushed Liz away from her, grabbing at her hair and pulling it.</p><p>“I just need my medication!” she repeated, over and over.</p><p>“You need to calm down, darling, or the screws will come and stick you in the wet cell!” Liz cried as Bea began to get more and more agitated. She began to kick various objects around the room and slam her fists against the walls.</p><p><em>“I WANT MY MEDICATION!” </em>Bea screamed.</p><p>“Give me a minute with her, try and keep the screws away and get everyone out of here,” Valeria commanded Doreen, who began to shoo away the crowd that had gathered in the doorway. “Bea, my name is Valeria, we met yesterday,” Valeria said calmly while Bea continued to throw things around the room. “Bea, tell me why you’re upset.” Valeria heard running footsteps and Mr. Jackson appeared at the doorway. Liz shushed him before he could say anything and pointed at Valeria.</p><p>“I can talk to her!” Bea cried, yanking at her hair again. “I can see her! I wanna see her!”</p><p>“Bea, you need to calm down. What can I do to help you calm down?” Valeria asked. Bea took a deep, shaky breath.</p><p>“I need my <em>medication</em>,” she heaved, pacing about the room and wringing her hands together.</p><p>“Okay, then we’ll take you to Medical,” Valeria said. “Bea, I’m gonna put my arm around your shoulders and we’re gonna walk to Medical, okay?”</p><p>Bea nodded.</p><p>Valeria approached her as she would a frightened animal, slowly and carefully. She gently draped one arm around Bea and began to lead the shaking woman out of the room.</p><p>“Clear the way,” Mr. Jackson commanded as the women began to part to let Bea through. Mr. Jackson followed Valeria and Bea silently out of the unit and down the hallways to Medical.</p><p>“Nurse Atkins,” Valeria cleared her throat and the young woman looked up. She took one look at Bea, disheveled, shaking, gray and sweating and was on her feet.</p><p>“Hi, Bea,” she said. “Can you tell me why you’re in Medical?”</p><p>“I need my medication,” Bea said.</p><p>“Okay, why don’t you lie down, and we’ll see what we can do, okay?”</p><p>Bea allowed herself to be lead to a gurney and she laid down on her side. Nurse Atkins picked up her chart and flipped through it.</p><p>“Bea, I’m really sorry, but the Governor ordered we stop your medication,” Nurse Atkins said after a moment.</p><p>“No, I need it!” Bea yelled, sitting up and reaching for Nurse Atkins, who stepped back. Another guard that was in the room practically shoved the nurse out of the way and slammed a handcuff onto Bea’s wrist and shackled her to the gurney. She began to scream and thrash against the cuff.</p><p>“Hey, I don’t think that’s necessary,” Valeria protested.</p><p>“Quiet, Valdez,” Mr. Jackson snapped. He picked up his radio. “Sierra Four calling Sierra Two.”</p><p>
  <em>“This is the Governor.” </em>
</p><p>“Governor, you’re needed in Medical, urgently,” he said.</p><p>
  <em>“I’ll be there shortly.” </em>
</p><p><em>“I need my medication!” </em>Bea screamed, over and over in-between fits of hysterical crying and battering at the rail of the gurney. Nurse Atkins, Mr. Jackson and Valeria all looked at another, then at Bea, then back at each other, all collectively feeling helpless. Bea was clearly in pain, and there was nothing they could do. Several minutes later, Ferguson marched through the door. She took one look at the distraught Bea and whirled to Valeria.</p><p>“I thought we agreed you would be keeping an eye on her!” Ferguson hissed. Before she could interject, Mr. Jackson jumped in.</p><p>“It’s not her fault. Cold turkey’s too much for her, she can’t handle it,” he said.</p><p>“The first thirty-six hours are the worst, she’ll be better by the morning,” Ferguson said, mock-nicely as Bea continued to scream.</p><p>“This isn’t right!” he insisted. Everyone in the room turned and all eyes were on Mr. Jackson.</p><p>“Your concern is noted, Mr. Jackson. Keep me updated,” Ferguson sneered.</p><p>“That’s fucking bullshit,” Valeria spat.</p><p> “Why is she here?” Ferguson asked, looking at Valeria with distaste.</p><p>“She was helping me escort Smith from her unit to Medical,” he explained.</p><p>“Take her back to her unit,” Ferguson commanded.</p><p>“I was actually going to ask if I could sit with her for the night?” Valeria asked.</p><p>“I’m sure she’ll be fine alone; Nurse Atkins will be here to watch over her. Take Valdez back to her unit,” she repeated. <em>“Now, </em>Mr. Jackson.”</p><p>“Let’s go,” Mr. Jackson said to Valeria. Valeria took one long, last look at Bea, glared at Ferguson and sullenly followed Mr. Jackson out of Medical. When they were out of earshot from Ferguson, the officer turned to her. “For what it’s worth, you were pretty good with her.”</p><p>“Uh… Thanks…” she replied. “Making her go cold turkey is harsh…”</p><p>“Unfortunately, it’s not up to us,” he said. “Keep an eye on her though, okay?”</p><p>“I will,” Valeria nodded.</p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, Valeria was tending the flower boxes when Liz entered the yard, leading Bea by the arm.</p><p>“Hey!” Doreen said, throwing down her gloves. “You really freaked us out yesterday!”</p><p>“Yeah, but you’re alright now, aren’t you? You’ve gotten through the worst of it,” Liz said. Bea didn’t reply. “Bea, this is Valeria, you might not remember her.”</p><p>“Hi,” Valeria said. “You okay today?”</p><p>Bea nodded.</p><p>“I planted the roses for you,” Doreen said, motioning to the flowers. “And for Deb.”</p><p>“They’re pretty,” Bea croaked. Liz began to point out different kinds of flowers to Bea and Doreen turned back to the flower beds. Valeria was eyeing an oddly-shaped cloud in the sky when she heard Doreen take in a sharp breath. She looked down and she saw that Doreen was holding a <em>phone.</em></p><p><em>“What the fuck is that?” </em>Valeria hissed quietly.</p><p>“What do I do?” Doreen whispered. “Shit, Ferguson.”</p><p>“Fucking <em>hide that shit!”</em> Valeria commanded. Doreen frantically began to bury the phone.</p><p>“Good morning!” Ferguson called as she approached.</p><p>“Hi,” the 4 women said collectively.</p><p>“I’m Ms. Ferguson, the new Governor. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” Ferguson said to Bea while Valeria and Doreen looked at each other.</p><p>“Bea Smith,” she said quietly.</p><p>“Yes, I’ve heard all about you. I didn’t want to keep you cooped up in isolation. I think you can achieve much more out here,” Ferguson smiled. “How are you feeling this morning?”</p><p>“Better, thanks,” Bea said after a pause.</p><p>“Yeah, we’re looking after her,” Liz said.</p><p>“I haven’t forgotten about you, Doreen, we’ll catch up soon.”</p><p>“Yeah… Okay…” Doreen said quietly. Ferguson smiled at them and continued across the yard.</p><p>“I think she might like you, Dor,” Liz chuckled.</p><p>“Whatever,” Doreen grumbled. She marched over to Franky, leaning over the table. “Franky, you gotta move that phone, I nearly got sprung.”</p><p>“What’d you do with it?” Franky asked.</p><p>“Nothing.”</p><p>“Well make sure it stays that way,” Franky said. Doreen glared at Franky and stormed off as the intercom reverberated throughout the prison.</p><p>
  <em>“Attention compound, H-Block proceed to work units.” </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Later that night, Valeria lie in her bed, staring up at the ceiling with her arms folded on her stomach, the same thought running circles in her head.</p><p>Brayden Holt. Brayden <em>fucking </em>Holt.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What did Brayden do to Valeria...? Stay tuned ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Whatever It Takes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Valeria has a disturbing flashback and Franky's desperate attempts to continue to supply gear to the women end with a tragic accident.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter wasn't my favorite to write, but nonetheless, I hope you guys like it! I would also like to say thank you to everyone giving me such positive feedback on the story! Thank you guys for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Valeria walked into the unit, eyebrows raised. Everyone was gathered around one of the middle cells, and there was a young girl Valeria had never seen cowering next to Liz.</p><p>“So do it, quit talkin’ about it!” Franky shouted.</p><p>“Fuck’s going on?” Valeria asked out loud to no one in particular.</p><p>“Skye’s got a fuckin’ shiv,” Franky groaned.</p><p>“Skye, honey, just calm down, you’re scaring the new girl,” Liz said.</p><p>“I don’t give a fuck about the new girl!” Skye shouted, her voice muffled by the closed cell door. Valeria peered around Doreen’s shoulder and saw Skye perched on the bed, sleeves rolled up and armed with a shiv.</p><p>“Can you try talkin’ to her?” Doreen turned to Valeria.</p><p>“What’s going on?” she heard Mr. Fletcher bark before she could respond as he entered the unit, followed by Mr. Jackson.</p><p>“Skye’s got a shiv,” Liz said.</p><p>“Look, she said she’s gonna slash up again if <em>anyone </em>goes in her cell,” Doreen said to the officers.</p><p>“Okay, move away Doreen,” Mr. Jackson commanded. “Skye, I’m gonna open the door and come in there, okay?”</p><p>“You open that door, I’ll open a fuckin’ vein, I swear to God!” Skye shouted.</p><p>“Talk to me Skye, what do you want? I want to help you!” Mr. Jackson said.</p><p>“I just need somethin’ to take the edge off, Mr. J!” Skye moaned. She sounded miserable.</p><p>“Okay, then we’ll take you to Medical and have you taken care of!”</p><p>“You’re gonna put me in the fuckin’ slot!” Skye yelled. Bea came around the corner and looked at Valeria.</p><p>“What’s goin’ on?”</p><p>“Skye’s got a shiv,” Liz and Valeria said at the same time.</p><p>“Pierson, listen, we’re coming in there, alright?” Mr. Fletcher growled. “Now put the shiv down and face the wall!”</p><p>“Mr. Fletcher, you probably shouldn’t go in there until someone talks her down,” Valeria said.</p><p>“Did I ask?” Mr. Fletcher snapped.</p><p>“Fletch, just let me talk to her, okay?” Mr. Jackson insisted.</p><p>“She’s probably off her head on ice, mate!” Mr. Fletcher said, reaching for the cell door.</p><p>“Don’t!” Valeria shouted. At the same time, she heard Skye roar, there was a rather disturbing squishing sound, and Mr. Jackson lunged into the cell.</p><p>“Fuck, she’s cutting!” he swore. “Skye, put the shiv down!” he ordered. Mr. Fletcher reached into his belt and whipped out a can of capsicum spray and sprayed it directly into Skye’s eyes, who began to scream hysterically.</p><p><em>“GET THE FUCK OFF ME!” </em>Skye bellowed, thrashing wildly against the hold of the two officers and sending blood spraying across the room. Franky was rolling her eyes and the new girl had her mouth covered in horror.</p><p>“Put pressure on her fucking arms!” Valeria shouted. Bea shrugged off her jacket and struggled to wrap it around Skye’s arm.</p><p><em>“I CAN’T FUCKIN’ SEE!” </em>Skye screamed as the officers dragged her out of the unit, Bea following. The new girl had begun to cry hysterically.</p><p>“Shut her up,” Franky spat, slamming her cell door.</p><p>“Who’s she?” Valeria asked.</p><p>“Her name is Su-Yun, and she doesn’t speak any English,” Liz sighed.</p><p>“Maybe Kim can talk to her,” Boomer suggested.</p><p>“That’s actually genius,” Valeria said. “Let’s go.”</p><hr/><p>Liz and Valeria rushed to the education unit. They knocked on the door and Kim put her book down and came over.</p><p>“We need your help,” Liz said.</p><p>“What’s up?”</p><p>“Well, this is Su-Yun. Korean. She doesn’t speak a word of English, she’s a newbie. She got upset when Skye went ape. We’ve been trying to calm her down and nothing is working,” Liz sighed.</p><p>“Can you tell her that what happened to Sky isn’t going to happen to her?” Valeria added. Kim eyed the young girl and began to speak Korean. Su-Yun whirled toward Kim, looking frightened and incredibly relieved at the same time. They began to speak hurriedly, and Liz and Valeria watched the exchange with curiosity.</p><p>“What’s she sayin’?” Liz asked. A look of horror crossed Kim’s face and she grabbed Su-Yun by the arm, half-shouting in Korean. Kim appeared to ask her a question and when she turned to look at Liz, Kim shook her arm and repeated herself.</p><p>“Kim? Kim, what’s wrong?” Valeria asked. Su-Yun had taken Kim by the shoulders and was speaking frantically. Kim stepped back and looked between Liz and Valeria.</p><p>“Holy shit,” she gasped.</p><p>“What the hell is the problem?” Valeria snapped, getting impatient with the whole ordeal.</p><p>“She said she swallowed two balloons before she got caught,” Kim said.</p><p><em>“Fuck. </em>Get her back to the unit, now!” Valeria ordered Liz, who began to drag Su-Yun back the way they came, Kim and Valeria following closely behind.</p><hr/><p>“Fuck you in such a hurry for?” Franky asked as they rushed past she and Boomer.</p><p>“Not now, Franky,” Valeria growled. When they got back to the unit, Valeria turned to Kim. “What <em>exactly </em>did she say?”</p><p>“Said she banged up six balloons. Cops found those, but they didn’t get the two she swallowed,” Kim replied.</p><p>“How long have they been in there?” Franky asked, coming up behind Kim.</p><p>“She got sprung at the airport last night, so about twenty-four hours,” Kim said.</p><p>“I’ll make her spew ‘em up!” Boomer exclaimed, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her toward the toilet. Su-Yun began to thrash and scream as the women shouted at Boomer.</p><p>
  <em>“Boomer!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Boomer, what the fuck?” </em>
</p><p>Liz smacked Boomer on the arm and dragged her away from Su-Yun.</p><p>“Boomer! Let her go, she’s traumatized as it is!” Liz shouted.</p><p>“They’re not gonna be in her stomach now!” Franky said, exasperated.</p><p>“Well where they gonna be?” Boomer asked.</p><p>“Kim, maybe you got it wrong, love,” Liz said as Su-Yun cowered in her lap.</p><p>“Ask her if she shat ‘em out. Ask her!” Franky demanded. Kim asked, Su-Yun responded. “So, is that a no?”</p><p>“They gave her something so she couldn’t crap on the plane,” Kim said. Valeria sat down and put her head in her hands, shaking her head.</p><p>“So, what do we do?” Boomer asked.</p><p>“Well, unless you wanna stick your finger up her ass, we wait,” Franky muttered. “I’ve got an idea.”</p><p>Franky, Doreen and Boomer marched out of the unit.</p><p>“Liz, this isn’t right,” Valeria said. “She needs medical attention.”</p><p>“I know she does, love. Franky is out of control,” Liz replied.</p><p>“That’s an understatement,” Valeria huffed. Several long minutes later, Franky returned, pulling a plastic bottle out of her waistband. She climbed onto the bed and straddled Su-Yun.</p><p>“Drink this. Come on, drink it. It’s just a bit of vegetable oil. Can you hold her head back?” she asked, opening the bottle as Boomer climbed behind Su-Yun, who began to scream and thrash against Boomer. “No, it’s okay, it’s just vegetable oil.”</p><p>“Franky! She hasn’t got a <em>clue </em>what you are saying!” Liz shouted.</p><p>“Tell her it’s not gonna kill her,” Franky told Kim. Valeria had no clue what Kim was saying, but by her tone it sounded like she was making somewhat of an attempt to calm the girl. With one hand holding Su-Yun’s mouth open and the other holding the bottle, Franky began to attempt to force her to swallow the oil. Boomer pinched her nose closed so she would be forced to open her mouth. Su-Yun was shaking her head in an attempt to stop herself from ingesting the oil. “This is ridiculous! Franky!” Liz cried.</p><p>“Chill the fuck out, Liz, I’m doin’ the girl a favor!” Franky snapped.</p><p>“By scaring her to death?” Valeria muttered, earning a glare from Franky.</p><p>“No, by helping her get that shit out of her gut, it’s just a bit of lubricant, what’s the big deal?”</p><p>Su-Yun began to cough and wheeze.</p><p>“You’re gonna fucking choke her!” Valeria yelled.</p><p>“Come on, just drink a little more,” Franky grumbled, still forcing the oil down her throat. When the bottle was finally empty, Franky let her go. She began to cry, and Franky rolled her eyes, throwing the bottle down on the bed. “Someone’s gonna have to watch her tonight.”</p><p>“I’ll do it,” Boomer said.</p><p>“You can’t fall asleep, Booms,” Franky said.</p><p>“Nah, nah, I won’t!” Boomer said. They all looked at each other for a moment and one-by-one, they went back to their individual cells.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>“H-Block are now called to breakfast, H-Block are now called to breakfast.”</em>
</p><p>Valeria groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She was exhausted. Dealing with Su-Yun and Franky on top of discovering the connection between Brayden Holt and Bea Smith was absolutely draining. She reluctantly climbed out of bed and wandered out into the unit. Franky was already awake and standing in the door of Su-Yun’s cell, shaking her head.</p><p>“Un-fucking-believable,” Franky groaned.</p><p>“What now?” Valeria sighed.</p><p>“Take a fuckin’ look,” Franky muttered. Valeria peered around her shoulder. Su-Yun was sitting on the bed holding her stomach and appeared to be in pain, and Boomer was fast asleep on the floor. Franky marched over to Boomer and began to nudge her with her foot. “Hey!”</p><p>“Huh…Wha…?” Boomer mumbled. “Oh. Hi.”</p><p>Franky sighed and threw her hands up, exasperated</p><p>“Any action?” she asked. Boomer checked the bucket on the floor and shook her head. “You absolutely sure she didn’t take a dump in the bog while you were fast a-fucking-sleep?”</p><p>“No, well, the noise of it would’ve woken me up,” Boomer mumbled. Franky rolled her eyes. Liz appeared in the doorway and sighed sadly.</p><p>“God, after all that oil she should be shitting through the eye of a needle. She’s compacted,” Liz said.</p><p>“What, you’re a proctologist now?” Franky scoffed.</p><p>“We gotta get her to Medical,” Liz insisted.</p><p>“And <em>then </em>what? You tell the screws she’s got a couple bags of H in her guts? It’s gonna make her sentence even longer, I’m tryna protect the girl, Liz!” Franky replied.</p><p>“Protection? That’s the last thing on your mind!” Liz barked.</p><p>“Is it?”</p><p>“Hey!” Boomer exclaimed. “Do you think those blokes will be back in the yard today?”</p><p>Franky rolled her eyes, Liz sighed, and Valeria huffed, turning and walking away from the cell. The television was playing the news, and Valeria froze when she saw the coverage.</p><p>
  <em>“Two units were called to the fire at a Coburg panel beating workshop, VIP Panel, Paint and Electrical, owned by a notorious crime family. The business owner, Brayden Holt, son of gangland identity Vinnie Holt, and deceased crime matriarch, Jacqueline Holt, returned to find the premises burning, but was able to alert the fire brigade before major damage occurred. One of the employees trapped inside suffered smoke inhalation and is being treated at a local hospital.”</em>
</p><p>Valeria felt her heart begin to pound and her palms were becoming damp. The camera then panned to none other than Brayden Holt himself.</p><p>“I went out for a six pack of beer,” he said, turning to look behind him at his shop, then continuing with, “and I come back to this. One of the guys that works for me was still inside, but lucky for him I managed to get him out.”</p><p>Valeria couldn’t watch anymore. She went into her cell and quietly shut the door, crawling into her bed and pulling the itchy prison blanket entirely over her head. Several minutes later, she heard the door creak open, but she didn’t look to see who it was.</p><p>“You coming to breakfast, love?” she heard Liz ask. </p><p>“I’ll catch up with you at work unit,” Valeria mumbled.</p><p>“You alright?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine, just feeling a little crook,” Valeria lied.</p><p>“Alright, well, feel better,” Liz said, shutting the door.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>The alleyway was dark, the sky cloudless. The only sounds were the sound of boots against wet asphalt and the sounds of the city, so close yet so far. Valeria felt the heavy, satisfying weight of the gun in her hand. A hooded figure stood at the end of the alleyway, facing away from her. Valeria raised the gun and continued forward. When she was about half-way to the figure, who she assumed to be Miriam, the figure turned, raised its own gun and Valeria gasped, stumbling backward. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her own face was staring back at her. The copy-cat, the doppelganger, the imposter, began to speak. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Valeria Valdez. Daughter of Jackson and Marie Valdez. Drug pusher for the Holt family. Murderer.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m not a fucking murderer,” Valeria growled. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, really?” the doppelganger grinned maliciously. “We’ll see about that.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Valeria asked as the spitting-image version of herself began to fade, like a ghost. Suddenly, the streetlight blinked out, and Valeria was left in the alley in total darkness. Valeria turned and began to jog back the way she came, half-blinded by the dark. She rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him standing under the streetlight. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Brayden Holt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He turned toward her, and she saw that his arms, hands and torso were dripping dark, red blood. He began to walk towards her, smirking. For every step forward Brayden took, Valeria took two backward. Panicked, she raised her gun and fired. She heard the crack of the gun, and the sound of the bullet embedding itself into flesh, but Brayden didn’t flinch and kept coming toward her. She fired again, and again, nothing. She began to rapidly pull the trigger, over and over, but it was like the bullets were going right through him. He was getting closer, and, just like the first time, there was nothing she could do when his bloody hands grabbed her and began to drag her down the alleyway.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Valeria sat bolt-upright with a gasp, her hands clutching at her throat. She was dripping sweat and her hands were shaking violently. She took a deep breath and brought her knees up to her chest, resting her forehead on them. She knew he would come back eventually, whether it be flashbacks, nightmares, <em>news coverage</em>; but it had been a long, long time since Brayden Holt’s face had appeared in her nightmares, and she thanked her broken, unruly mind, for keeping his memory for away as long as it did.</p><hr/><p>Nighttime had fallen upon the prison, and Su-Yun showed no signs that she was going to be making a bowel movement any time soon. Not to mention the fact that Skye had returned to H2, Valeria was stressed, irritated and she felt like she would snap at any second.</p><p>“Birdsworth,” Mr. Jackson called out.</p><p>“Here,” Liz said.</p><p>“Pierson, good to have you back,” Mr. Jackson said, giving Skye a soft smile. “And, Lee…”</p><p>Su-Yun was staring directly ahead with glazed-over eyes and didn’t blink when Mr. Jackson called her name. Mr. Jackson looked at her closely for a moment and Liz, Franky and Valeria all exchanged glances. “How’s she doing?”</p><p>Liz hesitated before answering and Franky gave her a sharp glare.</p><p>“She’s alright,” Liz lied.</p><p>“Alright, night, ladies!”</p><p>“Night!”</p><p>“Bye, Mr. J.”</p><p>Almost as soon as Mr. Jackson was out of sight, Su-Yun collapsed to the floor.</p><p>“Shit,” Valeria swore.</p><p>“Oh, god,” Liz groaned.</p><p>“Get her into her cell,” Franky commanded. Valeria and Liz lifted Su-Yun by the legs and arms and dragged her into her cell. They sat her down on the toilet and, knowing there was nothing they could do, they waited.</p><hr/><p>Valeria was laying on the floor of Su-Yun’s cell, half-asleep when she heard Liz enter and begin to try to coax the girl to drink a cup of water.</p><p>“What is goin’ on!” Doreen gasped, appearing at the cell door.</p><p>“Nothing, Dor, I don’t want you involved in this,” Liz said, shooing her away from the cell.</p><p>“Involved in what?” Doreen asked.</p><p>“Su-Yun is not feeling well!”</p><p>“So, get her to Medical!”</p><p>“It’s not a problem Medical can fix,” Liz sighed.</p><p>“But—”</p><p>“Dor, just leave it with me. I’m dealing with it,” Liz insisted.</p><p>“Fine,” Doreen grumbled, turning and going back to her cell. Liz shut the door, and Su-Yun began to cry.</p><p>“It’s alright, darling,” she soothed. Su-Yun began to cry harder and Skye entered the cell.</p><p>“She’s deliberately holdin’ onto it! Bitch is holdin’ the cheese for herself!” Skye grumbled.</p><p>“You know as well as I do that if this thing bursts, she’s stuffed!” Liz cried.</p><p>“So tell her to shit it out!” Boomer exclaimed. Skye sauntered out of the cell.</p><p>“She is <em>trying! </em>Can’t you see that she’s exhausted?” Liz growled. “This has gone on too long, I’m getting help.”</p><p>Franky moved in front of her as she tried to leave.</p><p>“You do that, you know what happens,” Franky warned.</p><p>“What are you doing this for, Franky?” Liz asked.</p><p>“I need the gear…” Franky said quietly.</p><p>“You don’t <em>need the gea—”</em></p><p>“Fuck it, I’m cutting her open!” Skye exclaimed, running back into the cell with a shiv. Just as she was about to grab Su-Yun, Franky grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the wall.</p><p>“Cut her and I’ll cut more than your fuckin’ wrists!” she snarled. Su-Yun’s cries had turned to loud, gut-wrenching sobs.</p><p>Both watching Franky and Skye, they didn’t notice Su-Yun start to convulse violently until they heard the sound of a body hitting the floor. Yellow-white foam dripped down her chin and her eyes remained glazed and fixated on nothing.</p><p>“Oh, shit! <em>Fuck!</em>” Franky swore. Liz rushed to the girl’s side.</p><p>“Franky, get some help!” Liz shouted. <em>“Help her!” </em>she screamed at Franky, who wasn’t moving.</p><p>“You’re fucked in the head,” Valeria hissed.</p><p>“It’s alright, darling, it’s okay…” Liz cried, cradling the girl’s head as she continued to seize. “Fuck. <em>Fuck,” </em>she growled, glaring at Franky, who shook her head and walked away. Seconds later, Valeria heard the screaming-wail of the prison duress siren. Liz was sobbing on the floor, repeatedly apologizing to Su-Yun, who had stopped convulsing.</p><p>She was dead.</p><p>Feeling incredibly numb, Valeria walked zombie-like into her cell and shut the door. Only when she was alone did she allow herself to begin to cry. She heard the sliding sound of the door, the sounds of Mr. Jackson and other officers entering the unit, yelling, asking what happened. Their voices muffled, Valeria assumed Franky and Liz were feeding Mr. Jackson a bullshit story. Valeria collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep almost immediately, her dreams haunted by visions of the night’s events.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The mystery of Brayden Holt and Valeria Valdez continues... Do you guys have any interesting theories on what transpired between Brayden and Valeria? Let me know!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Boys In The Yard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A troubling face from Valeria's past returns to Wentworth. Valeria joins Franky's crew and her dark connection to Brayden Holt is revealed.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey! I'm sorry this took so long for me to update, I struggled with a good way to end the chapter and I was on vacation for the 4th so I wasn't able to write. Also, just a quick trigger warning as I don't want to upset anyone: this chapter briefly implies and mentions sexual assault. I hope you guys enjoy:) happy reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“She’s not a bad artist for a junkie,” Liz laughed, referring to an incident that had taken place in the exercise yard earlier that morning involving Skye and a can of spray paint.</p><p>“Oh, stop,” Bea groaned, rolling her eyes and throwing a bag into the trolley Liz was pushing.</p><p>“I mean, she did do a pretty accurate depiction of Ferguson,” Valeria chuckled.</p><p>“How old is she anyways?” Bea asked.</p><p>“Oh, <em>shit,” </em>Valeria heard Liz exclaim. Valeria looked up and felt her blood turn to ice in her veins.</p><p>
  <em>Simone, “Simmo” Slater.</em>
</p><p>“What the fuck is she doing back?” Bea asked.</p><p>“I don’t even want to know,” Liz groaned.</p><p>“I’ll catch you guys later…” Valeria mumbled. “I’m gonna head back to the unit.”</p><p>“Righto,” Liz replied. Valeria noticed that Bea was eyeing her strangely, not realizing that her facial expression had given the secret away.</p><hr/><p>Valeria rushed back to H2, fully prepared to begin vomiting, when she spotted all her things, along with the rest of H2’s belongings, on the floor.</p><p>“What the fuck?” she heard Franky exclaim.</p><p>“Cell toss,” Liz replied, coming up behind her.</p><p>“I didn’t give Skye permission to fuckin’ graffiti,” Franky sighed.</p><p>“We need permission to fart, now do we?” Liz countered, and Valeria snorted, earning a look from Franky.</p><p>“So, where is she now?”</p><p>Valeria and Liz shrugged. Franky stopped Boomer on her way out of the unit.</p><p>“Where’s Skye?”</p><p>“Probably chasin’ the dragon, I’ll bet,” Boomer replied.</p><p>“How’s that? We’re in the middle of a fuckin’ drought!” Franky whispered.</p><p>“Yeah, well, Simmo’s back, isn’t she?” Boomer said.</p><p>“Simmo’s back?” Franky echoed, throwing her head back. <em>“Fuck.” </em></p><p>Did <em>everyone </em>in Wentworthhave problems with Simmo?</p><hr/><p>Valeria knocked on Skye’s cell door several hours later.</p><p>“Fuck do you want?” Skye asked.</p><p>“That shiv you had, I need to borrow it,” Valeria said.</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>“For Simmo,” Valeria said, lowering her voice.</p><p>“Franky’s gonna be pissed if ya take a crack at her before she does,” Skye said.</p><p>“I don’t give a fuck if Franky’s gonna be pissed,” Valeria muttered.</p><p>“My ears are burnin’!”</p><p>
  <em>Shit.</em>
</p><p>Franky waltzed into the unit, leaning on the doorframe.</p><p>“What’s happening here? You tryna score?” she asked Skye.</p><p>“Nah, she’s askin’ to borrow me shiv, aye,” Skye giggled.</p><p>“Who do you need a shiv for, Val?” Franky glared.</p><p>“Simmo,” Valeria grumbled. Franky raised her eyebrows in surprise.</p><p>“What’s your deal with her?” she asked. Valeria didn’t say anything but cut her eyes at Skye and looked back to Franky. “Skye, get out.”</p><p>“But this is my cell!”</p><p>“I said get out,” Franky snapped. Skye climbed off the bed and ambled out of the cell. “Spill it,” Franky said when she was gone.</p><p>“I’d appreciate if you keep what I’m about to tell you between the two of us,” Valeria said.</p><p>“Yeah, no problem, now tell me,” Franky demanded.</p><p>“I used to push drugs for the Holts,” Valeria began. “I haven’t been involved with them for years, but…” she trailed off, not sure how to explain to Franky what exactly Simmo had done to her.</p><p>“But?” Franky echoed. Valeria took a deep breath.</p><p>“It was three years ago. There was a party at Vinnie’s mansion. Everyone was drinking, snorting, smoking… Brayden slipped something into my drink…” she began. “He acted like he was helping me, like I’d just had too much to drink, but as soon as we got upstairs…” she trailed off, her voice breaking. She looked down at the floor, trying to blink the tears out of her eyes.</p><p>“He raped you?” Franky finished when Valeria found herself unable to continue. She nodded. “What does Simmo have to do with it?”</p><p>“She… She walked in on it. She came in, I guess to check on me. Before everything happened, we were friends. But when she saw what was happening, she shut the door and left. I thought she was going to get help, but no one ever came.”</p><p>“That’s <em>fucked,” </em>Franky growled. “I’m sorry that that happened to you, Val.”</p><p>Valeria was surprised at the sudden kindness the usually gruff, harsh woman was showing her.</p><p>“I want her to pay,” Valeria said.</p><p>“You want in on a little secret?” Franky asked. Valeria nodded. “Me, Skye and Boomer are gonna take her out. You wanna join?”</p><p>“Let’s do it,” Valeria nodded.</p><p>“So, here’s the plan…”</p><hr/><p>Valeria’s heart began to race when she heard the door to the Education Center creak open. From behind the shelves, she watched as Simmo made her way around the pool table, calling for her crew.</p><p>“Roz! Megan?”</p><p>“Simmo,” Franky said, stepping from the shadows. “Come to join my study group, have ya?”</p><p>Simmo looked panicked and attempted to make a quick exit, but she was blocked by Boomer, Skye and Valeria.</p><p>“Hi!” Boomer said, giving Simmo a wave.</p><p>“You set me up!” Simmo hissed at Skye.</p><p>“Yeah!” Skye laughed. The four stared at each other for several long seconds before Simmo pulled a shiv from her pocket, pointing it at Boomer.</p><p>“Come on, then,” Franky grinned. Simmo made a weak attempt to lunge at Franky with the shiv, but she was easily overpowered. Boomer grabbed her by both arms and Franky punched her hard in the stomach. Simmo began to struggle and shout until Boomer slammed her head against one of the metal shelves that lines the libraries. “Get her between the shelves.”</p><p>“Keep watch for screws,” Valeria commanded Skye.</p><p>They forced Simmo in between the shelves and Franky held up an 8-ball.</p><p>“You seem to like eight-ball, Simmo? You up for a game now?” she asked, grinning. “Val, I’ll let you do the honors.”</p><p>Valeria glared at Simmo.</p><p>“Val, don’t do this,” Simmo wheezed.</p><p>“Shut the fuck up,” Valeria snarled. She reeled back and slammed her fist into Simmo’s nose. There was a sickening, loud, crunch and Simmo doubled over, yelling in pain.</p><p>The beating continued for almost 30 minutes, with Boomer and Valeria taking turns pummeling Simmo, before the intercom blared through the room.</p><p>
  <em>“Attention compound, attention compound, all prisoners return to their units. Count will commence in 15 minutes.” </em>
</p><p>“Come on, we gotta go,” Boomer heaved.</p><p>“Booms?” Franky said.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I want you to finish the job,” Franky commanded.</p><p>“What?” Boomer asked, looking uncomfortable.</p><p>“Kneecap her. They’ll put her in protection, she won’t be back. She won’t be a pain in the arse,” Franky said.</p><p>“No… No… She… Well… Look, she… She’s almost out cold,” Boomer stammered. “It’d be a bit dirty...”</p><p>“I don’t care, Boomer, I’m not fucking around. I want her out of her, permanently,” Franky demanded. She pulled the 8-ball out of her pocket and slipped it into a sock. “I want you to use this.”</p><p>“Oh, fuck… That’s hardcore…” Boomer said, taking the sock-ball from Franky.</p><p>“Just do it quick. Get back before the count, hey?” Franky said. Boomer said nothing. “C’mon, Val.”</p><p>Valeria took one last look at Simmo, spit in her direction, and walked out.</p><hr/><p>The next morning, the woman Franky had framed for the graffiti, Roz, also known as Simmo’s right hand, was being made to paint over the wall.</p><p>“C’mon, Roz, it’s a big dick, it’s gonna take you a long time to cover it up,” Liz laughed, Valeria laughing with her. Franky came over, tapping Doreen on the leg and smiling.</p><p>“You’re off the hook!” she grinned. Doreen glared at her and remained silent. “Thanks, Franky, really appreciate it, Franky,” she joked.</p><p>“I’m glad the garden’s safe, but I’m not going to thank you for putting an innocent person in the slot.”</p><p>“An <em>innocent person?” </em>Franky scoffed. “Do we even have any of those?”</p><p>“Whatever,” Doreen muttered.</p><p>“Not whatever!” Franky countered. “I did you a favor, now it’s your turn. I want in on the garden detail, today. Me, Boomer and Valeria.”</p><p>“Since when is Val part of your crew?” Doreen snapped.</p><p>“Since I fuckin’ said so. Can you get us in or not?” Franky asked.</p><p>“Yeah, alright, whatever,” Doreen mumbled. Franky grinned at her and dropped an arm around Valeria, leading her to another part of the yard.</p><p>“So why exactly are we joining the garden detail?” Valeria asked.</p><p>“Because it’s the only way I’m gonna be able to get gear in here,” Franky said quietly. “It’s either this, or I’m fucked.”</p><hr/><p>Several days later, Valeria was sitting on the unit couch with Liz and Franky, arguing over some policital hoo-ha on the news when Mr. Jackson entered the unit.</p><p>“Valdez!” he called. Valeria looked up. “Come with me, please.”</p><p>Valeria stood and followed the corrections officer out of the unit.</p><p>“What’s going on?” she asked.</p><p>“I didn’t want to air out your business in front of all of H2, but the police are here for you.”</p><p>“The <em>police?” </em>Valeria echoed, heart beginning to pound. “Why?”</p><p>“I don’t know, all they said was they needed to speak with you, urgently. Come on,” Mr. Jackson said. Reluctantly, Valeria followed him into the visitor’s center, where two cops sat waiting. “Whatever it is, good luck,” Mr. Jackson said, giving her a gentle smile. She nodded, and he opened the door.</p><p>“Valeria Valdez?” one of the cops asked. He was short and stocky with blue eyes and a cropped ginger crew-cut.</p><p>“That’s me... What is this about?” Valeria asked.</p><p>“Take a seat,” the other cop instructed. He was taller, brown eyes and short, spiky black hair. “The undercover cop you shot, Miriam Holbrook…”</p><p>“What about her?” Valeria said hesitantly.</p><p>“Unfortunately, she died from her injuries early this morning,” the ginger cop said. “Valeria Valdez, we hereby charge you with the first-degree murder of Miriam Holbrook. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to remain silent…”</p><p>Valeria’s pulse was hammering in her ears, so loud that she couldn’t hear the cops finishing reading her rights. The room shifted violently, and Valeria felt like she was going to be sick. The cops finished reading off her rights and she was dismissed. Forcing down tears of agony, frustration and anger, Valeria walked silently over to Mr. Jackson, who had stayed to wait for her.</p><p>“That was quick,” he remarked.</p><p>Valeria said nothing.</p><p>“You okay, Valdez?” he asked when he noticed her expression and her silent demeanor. She nodded.</p><p>“C-Can I go back to my u-unit?” she asked quietly, her voice cracking. The world was spinning around her and for a moment she worried that she would pass out before she made it back to H2.</p><p>“Yeah, of course,” Mr. Jackson said, eyeing her. He put a hand gently on her back, which brought her back to earth somewhat. As he guided her back to the unit, she began to feel more and more ill. Franky, Liz and Doreen were still sitting on the couch watching television and they looked up when she entered. “Take care of yourself,” he said to her before walking away.</p><p>“Hey, what’d Mr. Jackson pull ya for?” Liz asked. Valeria didn’t reply, she had nothing to say, she didn’t know <em>what </em>to say. She simply stood in the middle of the room, shaking violently and staring blankly at the floor with tears in her eyes that she was trying her best to keep contained. “Val, what happened?” Liz asked when she noticed Valeria’s glassy eyes.</p><p>“I…” Valeria began, breaking off into a sharp inhale. She began to hyperventilate violently, her breath coming in quick, loud gasps. Her chest was excruciatingly tight, and for a moment she felt as if she was choking. Franky, Liz and Doreen were at her side almost instantly. She began to sob heavily in-between gasping for air and trying to explain to the 3 women what had happened. Her eyes were wide and wild, and Liz guided her to the couch. She started to rock back and forth, still wheezing. The rocking continued to get faster and faster until she exploded into motion again, pacing about the room with her hands on her head.</p><p>“Love, you need to calm down,” Liz said.</p><p>“Telling her to calm down won’t help,” Franky snapped.</p><p>“I c-c-can’t b-br-breathe,” Valeria choked out.</p><p>“Give me a minute,” Franky said to Liz and Doreen. She took the near-hysterical Valeria by the arm and guided her into her cell. “Val, look at me.”</p><p>Valeria continued to hyperventilate until Franky kneeled down in front of her and took her face in her hands.</p><p>“You’re alright, you’re having a panic attack,” she said. </p><p>“I want to <em>die</em>,” Valeria sobbed, falling forward onto Franky’s shoulder. Franky, in an entirely un-Franky-like move, began to rub her hand up and down Valeria’s back, shushing her quietly and holding her as she cried. “Franky, <em>please</em>let me die.”</p><p>After thirty-five long, tearful minutes, Valeria composed herself enough to explain to Franky what had happened.</p><p>“The cop I shot died this morning in hospital. The cops charged me with first-degree murder,” Valeria whispered.</p><p><em>“Fuck…” </em>Franky swore. “I’m sorry, Val.”</p><p>“Don’t be,” Valeria mumbled. They sat in silence for several minutes, Valeria staring at the floor and Franky thinking of something, <em>anything, </em>she could say to comfort her, but she came up with nothing. As Franky wracked her brain, Liz gently opened the cell door.</p><p>“Everything all right in here?” she asked.</p><p>“Yep, all good,” Franky said.</p><p>“Are you okay, Val?”</p><p>“Yeah…” Valeria said quietly. “If you guys don’t mind, I just want to be alone.”</p><p>“Yeah, of course,” Liz said. Franky stood and walked to Valeria’s cell door and paused at the doorway.</p><p>“You know we’re all here for you, right?” she asked. Valeria nodded. Franky gave her a sympathetic smile and gently shut the door. Valeria curled up on her bed and pulled her blankets up to her chin, tears dripping onto her pillow. She shut her eyes, images of the night she shot Miriam flooding her mind.</p><hr/><p>The next day, Valeria had feigned illness and skipped breakfast, work unit and lunch, and was in the process of deciding if she was going to attend dinner when the wail of the prison alarm began to echo through the unit.</p><p>
  <em>“Code black, OT, Code Black.”</em>
</p><p>She swung her legs over the side of her bed and shuffled out of her cell.</p><p>“What happened now?” she asked Liz, who was sitting on the couch.</p><p>“No idea,” Liz shrugged. A few minutes later, Franky burst into the unit, heaving as if she’d just run a marathon.</p><p>“You guys are not going to fuckin’ <em>believe </em>what Red did!” she panted. Valeria and Liz looked at each other.</p><p>“Was <em>Bea </em>the reason for the Code Black?” Liz asked.</p><p>“She went after Brayden Holt with a shiv,” Franky explained.</p><p>“You mean <em>the </em>Brayden Holt?” Valeria gasped.</p><p>“Don’t tell me she killed him,” Liz groaned.</p><p>“Nah, she got him pretty good, though. Slashed him right across the face,” Franky laughed. “It was pretty badass.”</p><p>“I would have paid to see that,” Valeria said. “I’m assuming she’s in the slot now?”</p><p>“Yeah, I reckon,” Franky said. Valeria felt herself becoming nauseous and she excused herself to her cell. She knew she was being irrational, but the thought of even being in the same building as Brayden Holt made her physically ill. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes and forced down the bile that was rising in her throat. Silently, she cursed and praised Bea at the same time. Cursing her for failing but praising her because her attempt on Brayden’s life had given her a plan.</p><p>She was going to take down the Holts, one back-stabbing son-of-a-bitch at a time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ohhhh shit.... What is Valeria up to? Tune in next time;)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! I will be uploading the next chapter as soon as possible! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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